


Let's Talk

by anamnesisUnending



Category: Marvel 616, New X-Men: Academy X, Young Avengers
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 18:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5836609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anamnesisUnending/pseuds/anamnesisUnending
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the world is saved, after the team drama is worked out with the young avengers, David has some catching up to do with his old classmates. It would be nice to have a happy reunion, but that's not quite how it works out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let's Talk

David watched from the hill as Tommy disappeared into the crowd. His heart still pounded from the shock of Tommy’s reappearance, but gradually the feeling faded into the distant pulse of music and the noise of the party. He checked his watch; it was just minutes past midnight.

David closed his eyes and lay back in the grass, taking a long breath and letting the finality of it sink in. One lost job, nearly three months of traveling the multiverse, one battle to save the multiverse, and then all of a sudden it was over. And it was New Year’s. He felt like he must have aged a decade in the past months, but at the same time, it was too soon for it to be over.

Except it wasn’t really over; sure it was for the rest of the team, but for David it was just more unclear. Somewhere in the future, the Patriot costume and whatever cosmic horror possessed it were waiting for him, and he knew he would have to face that alone.

David pulled up a handful of grass and fought the gears turning in his head, fought back the thoughts of the future. The multiverse was saved--for now--and so was Tommy, and it was a new year. That was still worth celebrating. He knew he should brush aside any fears and speculations, and go back down the hill and join the party again. He knew he should, and maybe he would, but not now. He looked up at the sky and took another long breath, and then--

“Yo Alleyne, you’re not gonna sulk out here all night, are you?”

David heard Santo’s gravelly voice, and sat up in time to see Josh elbowing him in the side. “Don’t be like that, Santo,” Josh said. “This is how it’s done.”

Josh sprinted up the hill and all but flung himself into David’s arms, melodramatically exclaiming, “Oh David, my long-lost roommate, how may I mend your broken heart?”

David collapsed back onto the ground under Josh’s weight, laughing and trying to shove him off. “Good to see you again too, Josh, and uh, I think I’ll be fine. You might want to make sure you didn’t break any of my ribs, though.”

Josh just grinned at him, before moving over and sitting down next to David.

David scanned the group that was gathering around him. Santo had just joined them, while Victor was still coming up the hill, holding two glasses of punch. Cessily, Sooraya, and Julian followed, Cessily laughing at something Sooraya had said, with an arm around Julian’s waist. David felt a pang of regret at the sight; he was glad to see they were still close, but it made it hurt even more that he had left all of them behind.

And then there was Nori. She stood in front of him, arms folded, her expression not quite readable, but David thought it was almost reminiscent of anger. He nervously met her eyes, and she offered an awkward smile before sitting down with him too.

One by one, the rest of the group joined them.

“So what’s this about?” David asked, taking a glass of punch as Victor offered it to him.

“Dude, it’s been ages since we’ve seen you, why’s it have to be about something?” Josh said.

“Oh no, it’s about something,” Julian said. “It’s about you just disappearing, then calling us up to save the world, then still barely speaking to us even at your big New Year’s party, I mean come on.”

“Julian--” Cessily started.

Nori interrupted, “He’s got a point.”

“Okay, he has a point,” Cessily said.

David winced. “I’m really sorry, guys, it’s just--”

“Dude, no excuses,” Victor said. “Just hang out with us, okay? It’s been forever.”

Cessily opened her mouth to speak, but Sooraya, having waited long enough for a point at which to join the exchange, set her hand on Cessily’s forearm and said, “We’re not trying to blame you, David. We understand; things have been complicated for all of us. We just miss you. I’ve been separated from too many of my friends for too long, and I would hate for us to drift apart.”

Cessily and Victor both nodded their agreement.

“Also,” Cessily said, “We wanted to know if you wanted to go out to breakfast with us after the party.”

David took a sip of punch. “Yeah, that sounds great. I’ll have to see what my-- what my new team has planned, though.”

Julian groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Pfft, screw them, they’re not as cool as us,” Victor said, raising his glass.

David grinned and knocked his own against it, spilling punch on the ground. “Yeah, okay.”

“Great,” Santo said, standing up. “So it’s settled. Alleyne’s gonna party with us. Can we all get back to dancing now?”

“Absolutely,” Victor said, downing the last of his punch.

The group started making their way down the hill and back to the party. Nori turned to go, setting a hand on David’s shoulder, but he hesitated, watching the rest of the group leave.

Sooraya stopped, and turned to the two of them and said, “Are you coming with us?”

David shook his head. “I just need a moment alone,” he said 

Nori had stayed by his side though, and her gaze burned through him. He didn’t meet her eyes.

“I said--” he started.

“I know what you said,” Nori interrupted. “But Santo was right, you need to quit sulking--honestly you haven’t changed at all--and I want to talk. So let’s talk.”

She offered out a hand, and David took it, and it was like everything they’d once had came rushing back to him in cold nostalgia.

“Alright Nori,” he said. “Let’s talk.”

***

Nori looked at David, fumbling for words. Where did they even start? After everything that had happened, it had seemed like nothing could bring them back together, much less their team. But here they were, holding hands, alone on this hill with so many of their former classmates together again at the party below.

David ran his thumb over the metal of her gauntlet, and she looked at the way his brow furrowed, how he waited for her to speak, like he could wait forever. She couldn’t.

“Why did you leave?” she asked.

He looked up. “Nori, I told you--”

“Barely,” she said. “You bought your plane tickets before you even talked to me about it.”

“I knew you’d try to convince me not to go, Nori, and I had to--”

Nori dropped his hand. She’d thought enough time had passed that she might not be angry about this anymore, but maybe she was wrong. “You didn’t even ask me to go to the airport with you! And you gave some half-assed explanation about how everything was falling apart, when you were always the one who was so focused on keeping us together, and our mission, or whatever, and--”

“Nori, could you let me explain myself?” He said, almost having to shout over her.

“No!” she shouted back. “You already tried. You don’t get to make any more excuses. David, your sister called me. Two weeks after you left, asking if I knew where you were. Did you even talk to your family? Did you tell them what you were doing? Because you sure as hell didn’t tell me.”

That was the crescendo of their symphony, loud enough to make the next words feel almost silent.

“David, are you okay?” Nori asked.

David closed his eyes. His thoughts traced over all the bitterness he’d felt after the X-Men had broken up, after Cyclops was arrested. He barely felt it anymore, and he wasn’t sure if it had faded because he’d left, or if it just meant that he was wrong to have left in the first place. Either way, he regretted it.

David nodded. “Yeah,” he said, speaking almost in a whisper, just like her. “I’m better now.”

“Good,” she said. Then after a moment, “Listen, I’m not gonna just let you off the hook for all this, but it’s New Year’s. You can explain everything later, for now let’s just . . . let’s just go back to the party and dance, okay?” She took his hand in hers, and turned to go.

David set his other hand over hers. “Next song. This one’s a slow dance,” he said.

She stopped, then smiled and moved one of her hands to his shoulder. “Then let’s slow dance. Right here.”

David let out a soft laugh, then pulled her closer, setting his hands on her waist. “Sure.”

They swayed back and forth together, David moving to the music, Nori just moving with David. Nori wasn’t sure what they were to each other now. She’d been keeping him at arm’s length for a long time now, ever since their breakup. But they’d been younger then, their lives and feelings fear-filled, messier. She knew neither of them were in any kind of stable place now, but still, something at least had changed.

She thought, for a moment, that maybe she should have asked him whether they could still make this work, or if they were better off as friends. But she figured it didn’t matter, really. She moved closer, closing her eyes resting her head against his chest. Whatever happened next would happen, but for now they didn’t have to be anything to each other. It was better just to be.


End file.
